First state visits abroad for head of Sudan’s military junta

Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, head of Sudan's Transitional Military Council (TMC), made his first visits abroad to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. In Cairo he discussed the transfer of power to a civilian authority with the Egyptian President Abdelfattah El Sisi. In Abu Dhabi he met with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The visit of El Burhan to Cairo was closely watched by Sudan’s opposition and protest groups, who have warned Egypt not to interfere in their politics. They did not make an immediate comment after the visits.

El Burhan “thanked El Sisi for his support to Sudan through his chairmanship of the African Union to deal with the situation in Sudan”, TMC spokesperson Shams El Din Kabbashi said after the return of El Burhan to Khartoum. The spokesperson of the Egyptian Presidency said that El Sisi expressed his confidence in the ability of the Sudanese people and state institutions to restore stability and achieve security. He stressed the importance of joining regional and international efforts to help Sudan.

Bin Zayed

According to the Emirates News Agency, Crown Prince Bin Zayed expressed “great confidence in the ability of the Sudanese people and their national institutions to overcome the current stage and move towards the future with a united national spirit” after El Burhan’s visit. “The UAE would spare no effort to do whatever is good for the brotherly people of Sudan,” he added.

Bin Zayed pointed out the importance of dialogue between the Sudanese at this critical stage. UAE officials held meetings with the Sudanese opposition in an attempt to narrow the gap between the opposition and the military junta over the transitional period and the transfer of power.

The TMC did not issue a statement on the outcome of the visit of El Burhan to the UAE.

El Burhan’s visits to Egypt and the UAE follow a visit of his deputy Mohamed Hamdan "Hemeti' to Saudi Arabia. In late April, the UAE and Saudi Arabia announced assistance worth $3 billion to Sudan.